Lights Out after Dark
by moodiful819
Summary: .:Sequel to Replacement:. And Sasuke found himself once again staring up at that darkened window wondering where the years had gone and just how far away she was from him now. One-sided Sasusaku. Implied Kakasaku. Implied one-sided SasuIno


The sequel to "Replacement." Didn't expect it to be double the length of the original. Dedicated to marikoluvsanime who requested a sequel to "Replacement." I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Do no own Naruto.

* * *

A lone figure walked in the streets of Konoha. Night had fallen in the village and the citizens were beginning to emerge in the evening bloom. The soft glow of lanterns and city lights illuminated the faces of couples strolling in the streets and he did his best to weave around them before entering the old streets of the clan districts, the moon lighting his path.

The path leading to his house was deserted. Many of the streets in this district were. Once, there had been a time when these streets would be filled with strolling couples and children just like the main streets of Konoha, and if he closed his eyes, he could see the streets filled with life again. Opening his eyes, he realized he had reached his doorstep. He opened the door.

"Hn."

A clatter reached his ears and he looked up from removing his sandals to see Ino in the doorway of the kitchen, a plate held against her chest. She looked startled.

"Sasuke, you're home," she said in surprise and he gave a noncommittal grunt before looking at her. Realizing that he was staring at her expectantly, she gave a small start, her hold on the plate faltering before she steadied it in her nervous hands.

"Dinner's ready."

* * *

The faint sounds of chopsticks hitting the porcelain dishes reached his ears as he watched Ino eat. Briefly, as he sat with the blond-haired girl in the kitchen, he wondered if Sakura's manner of eating differed much from Ino's. They had been best friends, so surely their habits rubbed off on each other. Sakura got her argumentative nature from the woman across from him, that much he was sure of.

She raised her hashi up to her lips, a small piece of fish disappearing into her mouth. What type of fish did Sakura like, he wondered? He knew she liked sweets unlike him, and she hated spicy foods. He, on the other hand, didn't mind it as much. His mouth had become slightly immune due to the amount of training he did as a child for his family's fire techniques. Then again, he couldn't taste much anymore since his taste buds were fried for the most part. He'd have to ask Sakura if she could help him.

Another clatter and he frowned to himself as Ino's chopsticks hit her plate. He doubted Sakura did such things. Actually, he did see her do it once when he was still in the hospital after just returning to the village, but she hadn't eaten all day pulling shifts left and right. It had been understandable that when he offered him some of his food tray, she devoured it eagerly. Despite the food that fell on his skin and her subsequent chiding of skipping meals in his condition, the satisfied, thankful smile she gave him was worth it and briefly, he wondered if she had skipped out on her meals again and if he should drop off some food for her at the hospital. Then again, she had _him_ to take care of her. His hands clenched on his chopsticks.

"Sasuke?" Ino questioned softly as he stood from his seat. Grabbing his jacket, he shrugged it on, straying in the doorstep for a moment. "I'm going out."

"O-oh. Okay," she said in a nervous tone. He didn't turn back to see the look on her face. He didn't have to. He could feel her eyes on his back as he slipped on his shoes; feel the wariness in the air reaching out to him. He knew she didn't want him to leave, but she didn't have the guts to tell him. Inwardly, he wrinkled his nose, more disgusted with himself than her for choosing such a spineless woman to share his home. Even if they weren't married, the fact he brought her into the only home he had ever known could be construed in some twisted manner as a form of engagement from outside eyes and he scoffed at the idea. She was a comfort woman; nothing more, nothing less. Just a person to occupy his bed and vent his emotions on as he fulfilled his needs. He would never consider a woman that couldn't even say what she wanted as a significant other, and with that thought, he stepped out into the open air.

The first thing that crossed his mind was how sweet the air was, the second was how much he needed this walk outside. It was springtime, the beginning of April to be precise. Outside the walls of Konoha, the wildflowers would be blooming, not that he'd be able to see them with his inability to leave Konoha as punishment. As for what he did for money without wages from missions, he lived off the money his parents had saved for him and his brother. Actually, as the only living Uchiha, all the money belonged to him, but he missed the freedom he had outside the village walls. Now, the only time he could feel the wind on his face was either training or on late-night walks such as this.

Looking around, he realized he had gotten much farther than he thought he would have. He was past his uncle's old residence and realizing agitation had hastened his steps, slowed his pace.

A wind crossed his path and he shielded his eyes from the leaf litter caught on the updraft before watching them fly up into the air. The breeze caught the bough of a nearby tree, causing the petals to rain down gently.

He lowered his hand, stuffing it into his coat pocket as he settled to watch them dance in the moonlight. The sight of the petals twisting and twirling as they fell enraptured him for some odd reason. Briefly, he wondered how Sakura would feel watching this scene. She would probably feel the same way he did, staring at the scene with a soft glow in her heart. How would she react if she knew Uchiha Sasuke could feel this way? But then again, she had always known he was capable of feeling these types of things and he was grateful for it. A smile crossed his face.

Sakura was always a giving person, even in her most selfish moments. Every wish she made, she made for someone else's sake. When he had come back, she told him that he prayed for his return every night and it touched him deeply. Her faith in him was unshakable and he would've laughed in her face about it if he didn't need to hear those words so much.

After that, the feelings he had long buried began to resurface. Things he had forgotten bloomed with new fervor and he never remembered feeling more alive.

The more time he spent with her, the stronger the feelings became. It should've frightened him that she had changed him so easily, but he wasn't afraid. He did not feel fear or pain in her presence, only the glow of her smile and the warmth of her love.

It was not soon after that that his mind became lost in fantasy. Whenever she left for the night, he would stare out the window at the moon and create moments between them in his head. When she was happy, that happiness would transfer to his dream. Whenever she was sad or crying, he would fix it in his mind, comforting her as he wiped away her tears. She was never sad in his fantasies because Sakura always looked best when she smiled and he would do anything to keep it on her face.

Sasuke had it all figured out in his mind. He would confess to her, if not in his hospital bed when she delivered his dinner, then in the middle of a field under the starry night sky. He would say 'I love you,' and tears would prick her eyes before she expressed that she felt the same and they kissed. The kiss itself would be perfect and they would hold each other as if they were each other's only anchor to this world. They might have dated, learning more and more of each other, even though they knew everything already. They would become engaged and they would live together in his family's old house. There, she would plan the wedding and gush over dresses and assorted gossip with her best friend. When that was over for the night, he would pull her aside and lead her to the bedroom where he would show her how he felt more than words could ever express. In the aftermath, they would lie in a sweaty tangle of limbs while listening to the sound of each other's heartbeat. Before they knew it, the wedding day would come. Naruto would pester him and Kakashi would add a perverted quip or two before saying how proud he was of Sasuke and how happy he was for the two of them. Sasuke would be touched because Kakashi had taken the role of father in his eyes and then the ceremony would start. Sakura would walk down the aisle dressed in white and Sasuke would stare and think how he'd never seen a more beautiful woman in his life.

Children came naturally after marriage and he would do well on his promise of repopulating his clan. They would have three children, each with his hair and their mother's eyes. The first would be a boy and then another boy so their little sister always had someone to watch out for her. After that, they would watch their children grow up. Sasuke would find some way to convince the village council to let him out of Konoha once more so he could do missions and provide for his family. The missions were always high-rank, so he could earn enough for them to live comfortably so Sakura didn't have to work anymore. On the mornings of his missions, she would make his lunch and kiss him goodbye as the children waved goodbye to their father and he would smile at each of them and say goodbye as well.

There were other things as well, millions upon millions of scenarios like the one where he planted a grove of sakura trees by hand just for her, or the time he almost died on a mission and only survived because he heard her voice. Each one was like a masterpiece in itself and he'd sit staring dazedly at the walls or the moon until she came back and he could see her once more.

Guilt slowly coiled around him as his footsteps led him through the endless streets. Sadness was a friend to him now. He probably should have expected it since he had spent his entire childhood wallowing in self-induced misery. He had been so blind back then, throwing callous words at people just because he could. Because he was Sasuke. Because he was an avenger. Because there would be someone that finally felt worse than he did.

A sad sigh escaped his lips. Thinking back on those moments made him feel worse than he already did, but he kept thinking about it because he was masochistic that way and it was all he knew how to do. There were so many things he could've done otherwise the night he left Konoha. He could've stayed, he could've told Naruto to watch out for her after he left, he could've told her he loved her…but he didn't. Instead, he spat in her face, mocking her and her childish notions of love when he knew he was just as guilty for having them. The look on her face, the pain etched into her eyes as she gripped her hands over the slowly crumbling area that was her heart was heartbreaking and the knowledge that he was the cause was unbearable and it was something he had never forgiven himself for. He doubted he ever would.

Walking further down the deserted streets, he remembered his bed-ridden days and chuckled softly to himself at them. He had spent so much time fantasizing about her and their life together and instantly, a picture of him and her on the engawa watching their children play flashed before him.

A sound. The distant howl of a wolf and he was instantly reminded of _him_. He scowled.

But that wasn't the case anymore. All the scenarios, all the fantasies were now laid to waste in his mind now that she was with _him_. The mere thought that she was with him made him bare his teeth, unaware of how they glinted in the moonlight like knives. All he could think about was that she was with him and the fact that she would never leave him didn't help it at all. That fool. That idiot. That _bitch._ How could she do that to him? How could she refuse him—for their former sensei?! It was humiliating and it disgusted him whenever he saw them together because every time they were together was a glaring reminder that she would never be his. Every kiss they exchanged mocked him because it was never Sasuke kissing her and it never would be. It would be Kakashi and he knew it, knew it just like he knew that it was Kakashi holding her hand, Kakashi kissing her, Kakashi touching her, fucking her, making her scream his name in ecstasy. He knew it because he had seen it and the feeling that lanced through him could only be described as hell.

The night he stumbled upon Sakura and Kakashi, he had been bounding over rooftops with excitement. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, making his footsteps rushed and sloppy. If not for his heightened reflexes, he would've plummeted to his death a couple of times.

It was around midnight when he arrived at her house. The streets below her residence were empty because no person in their right mind would be out so late, but Sasuke wasn't a person in his right mind that night. He was a man in love and he would be damned if something as insignificant as time stopped him. The entire night, he had been planning how he would tell her. His hands fidgeted and the floorboards of his house were worn from his constant pacing. Every sound made him nervous and his heart thumped rapidly in his chest cavity, ready to burst. Blood filled his ears and he felt so nervous and light-headed that he thought his head would explode. Realizing he was getting too anxious, the idea of telling her in the morning flew out the window. He just couldn't wait that long, but looking back on it now, he realized he should've. Then he wouldn't have had his heart broken so viciously.

That night, he had landed on the tree outside his window. If she punched him for disturbing her sleep, he would apologize, and crept further along a branch so he could reach her window when he stopped. There, in the window were Sakura and Kakashi, sweat pouring down their bodies as they searched for heaven in the mortal plane. The scene was framed by billowing curtains and from where he sat, he could hear their breathless gasps and the slow, steady creak of the bed. Neither had realized they had a visitor, too engrossed in each other to notice when Sakura suddenly arched her back, pink hair flung back as she tightened her grip in their interlaced hands and screamed his name.

It was like watching a car wreck. He knew he should've looked away for some sense of modesty, but he couldn't. He could only stare as Sakura continued to climax, body undulating and mouth screaming as Kakashi lost himself underneath her with a breathless and reverent whisper of her name.

Watching the scene, watching _them_ was awkward and painful at the same time. It wasn't that he had stumbled upon them during sex because casual sex was meaningless and the need for release from this world was desperately needed in their line of work, but it was because of something else…

Love. That night, watching her scream her orgasm to the stars, he felt her exude a feeling of love and belonging with their former sensei; a feeling she would never share with him, and nursing a bruised ego and a broken heart, he disappeared into the night. Half a year later, he found himself still doing the same.

"Stupid bitch. She's probably been doing him behind my back for years. Maybe since we were genin," he laughed aloud before stopping himself, instantly feeling regretful for his words. Those words were born from a hatred that had no right to exist. In fact, he was a bit happy for her and it was his own damn fault for building his hopes on such shaky foundations, but it hurt so damn much! Every minute that she wasn't with him felt like his skin was being peeled off and set aflame. He knew that Kakashi could give her a happiness and stability he would've never been able to give her, but it hurt too much to admit that to himself just yet. He still loved her and the fact that she found true happiness with another was just too hard to swallow for him.

Looking around, he found himself staring at a familiar tree in front of a familiar house. He was in Sakura's neighborhood, seeing that he had followed his unconscious habit of wandering to their house and noted that her light was on. How many times he had stepped out of the house for fresh air only to wind up here, he did not know. He didn't want to know.

Rain began to fall on him, starting slowly with errant drops here and there before falling steadily and beating on his back like the first night he found himself looking in from the outside. Staring up at her window as his clothes became stained with rain, he wondered what she thought of him now before wondering what she was doing at the moment and if she still thought of him every now and again like how he thought of her daily.

A shadow came to the window and focusing his eyes, he saw that the silhouette was hers. Instantly, he felt himself grow hopeful as his heart leapt into his throat. Had she seen him? Was she going to call him up? Were they going to talk? The possibilities were endless in his mind, but she merely turned off the light and went to bed as he stared at her vacant window before finally walking home in the rain.


End file.
